Only as Happy as the Least Happy Child: Multiple Grown Children's Problems and Successes and Middle-aged Parents' Well-being
Only as Happy as the Least Happy Child: Multiple Grown Children's Problems and Successes and Middle-aged Parents' Well-being
复制标题
DOI：
10.1093/geronb/gbr086
复制
发表时间：
2012-03-01
影响因子：
6.2
通讯作者：
Zarit, Steven
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Fingerman, Karen L.;Cheng, Yen-Pi;Zarit, Steven
中年父母的幸福可能与成年子女的成功和失败有关。此外，大多数父母都有不止一个孩子，但研究并没有考虑孩子的成功和失败与父母幸福感的关系。中年人（40-60岁; N = 633）报告了他们每个成年子女（n = 1,384）的幸福感，并对自己的幸福感进行了评级。参与者指出了每个孩子在过去两年中经历的问题，评价了他们孩子的成功，以及积极和消极的关系品质。具有一个有问题或被认为成功的成年子女）和累积模型（即，家庭中的所有问题或成功）。与暴露和累积模型一致，有一个孩子有问题，预示着父母的幸福感较差，家庭中的问题越多，父母的幸福感越差。有一个成功的孩子并不能预测幸福，但多个成年子女在家庭中取得更高的总成功预测增强父母的幸福感。关系品质部分解释了孩子的成功和父母的幸福之间的关联。讨论的重点是父母从如何长大的后代，特别是长大的孩子的问题的影响。
Middle-aged parents' well-being may be tied to successes and failures of grown children. Moreover, most parents have more than one child, but studies have not considered how different children's successes and failures may be associated with parental well-being.Middle-aged adults (aged 40-60; N = 633) reported on each of their grown children (n = 1,384) and rated their own well-being. Participants indicated problems each child had experienced in the past two years, rated their children's successes, as well as positive and negative relationship qualities.Analyses compared an exposure model (i.e., having one grown child with a problem or deemed successful) and a cumulative model (i.e., total problems or successes in the family). Consistent with the exposure and cumulative models, having one child with problems predicted poorer parental well-being and the more problems in the family, the worse parental well-being. Having one successful child did not predict well-being, but multiple grown children with higher total success in the family predicted enhanced parental well-being. Relationship qualities partially explained associations between children's successes and parental well-being.Discussion focuses on benefits and detriments parents derive from how grown progeny turn out and particularly the implications of grown children's problems.